Dirk & Steele Book 7: The Last Twilight by Marjorie M Liu

Dorchester Publishing/Leisure Books
Paranormal Romance/Fantasy
Paranormal Romance/Shape Shifter
Mass Market Paperback
Rating: 4

Doctor Rikki Kinn is a brilliant virus hunter working for the CDC. She’s in the Congo working when she gets called up to investigate a mysterious outbreak that has just struck down an entire village within hours of their first exposure. She’s on her way to the Hot Zone when she is nearly kidnapped. Barely avoiding the mercenaries after her, her boss puts out a call for a personal favor from the Dirk and Steele Agency for protection for Rikki.

Amiri is a shape shifter with the Dirk and Steele Agency whose homeland is Africa. He left there years ago after horrendous treatment he received, and swore to never return. When He’s assigned to be protector to a virus hunter doctor, it’s the last thing he wants to do. Until he sees her…

Now Rikki and Amiri are in a race against time and enemies they do not understand to find the source of this mystery virus that is looking more and more like it’s been bio-engineered. However, Rikki and Amiri each have their own secrets they are afraid to share. Will they be able to overcome their misgivings, track down the source of the deadly plague, and defeat the enemy to find a cherished love and stop The Last Twilight of mankind?

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each book of Marjorie M Liu’s books that I’ve read and The Last Twilight was no exception. For some reason though I always have a hard time putting into words my feelings about the books and have no idea why since usually I can’t stop raving about books I love. I don’t know if it’s the complexity of the stories that draws me in and yet defies explanation when I try to talk about them, or if it’s because I get so wrapped up in the story I have a hard time disengaging when I’m done. Whatever the reason, I’m sure going to try to share my thoughts!

As with Soul Song, The Last Twilight is a very dark story that gets into some very graphic descriptions of suffering and torture, and will likely make some sensitive readers a little queasy. However, these dark scenes are crucial to the story. The torture inflicted on our leading couple in their respective pasts, and on one of the secondary characters in this story, plays such a key role in making them who they are today, and gave them the inner steel they need to get through the intensity of current events. Liu never crosses the line into unacceptable and it’s pretty apparent she tried very hard to handle it with just the right finesse.

Rikki and Amiri are wounded souls, each who had a very hard past to overcome. On one level, they sense the parallels in their lives which helps to build the bond that develops between them. Their love that grows is all consuming and is exactly what they each need to be whole once more. The emotion between these two is palpable and made me even more desperate to see them receive their richly deserved happy ending.

I was immediately drawn into the world created in The Last Twilight and couldn’t bear to stop reading for even a minute! What makes this story even more powerful is the fact that Liu tackles some very serious concerns in the world right now that are all the more chilling for the fact they really can happen… and quite possibly have somewhere in the world already. I got chills over the sheer evil of the villains we can only begin to understand. I expect we haven’t heard the last of Broker and his crew of mercenaries and would not be at all surprised to see them pop up again in a future book.

I have one question for Marjorie M Liu after reading The Last Twilight that I hope we’ll get some answers to in a future novel. Just who and what is Rictor? This enigmatic character held me spellbound and I want to know more. Please reveal his secrets to us soon! I can’t remember the last time a secondary character got to me so strongly and made me want to find out everything there was to know about him. I hope Liu answers my plea and we get his story very soon.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2008. All rights reserved.

The D2K Paranormal Junkies